Human Behavior in Extreme Situations: Implications for K-12 Education in the Twenty-First Century

Columbine. Virginia Tech. Sandy Hook. For most Americans, these names conjureimages of violence and feelings of terror or deep sadness. While news reports of risingcrime rates build up each day and all-too-frequent occurrences of school-based violencecause panic and fear, policy-makers and school administrators have scrambled to ensurethat students are safe and protected in the classroom, in many cases by increasing security,arming school-based police, and putting surveillance systems in place. But looking to thepast and examining the ways that humans have responded to novel dangers and extremesituations throughout history may provide us with a better idea of ways that we can adaptourselves to the threats we now face, particularly in school settings. This book analyzes theresponse techniques, collaborative models, and personal characteristics that helped individualsfrom prisoners of concentration camps to kidnapping victims escape their situationsand provides modern-day tactics for both responding to and preventing violence in schools.